Integrated circuit (IC) packages are composed of a number of different materials. These materials may vary from material contained in a die to molding material to various metals contained in electrical routing features and interconnect structures, to name a few. To further complicate this, a package substrate or circuit board, to which an IC package may be coupled, may also be composed of an array of materials. Each of these materials, in an IC package, a package substrate, or a circuit board, may have varying coefficients of thermal expansion. A coefficient of thermal expansion represents the change in volume a material may experience based upon a change in temperature of the material. Because materials contained in an IC package, package substrate, or circuit board may have different coefficients of thermal expansion, as the temperature of the various materials change the stresses imposed on the IC package, package substrate, or circuit board may change as well. These stresses may be especially apparent at the location where the IC package couples with a package substrate or circuit board because the location of the coupling may be subject to the stresses of both the IC package and of the package substrate or circuit board to which the IC package is coupled. As a result, the coupling may be a point of failure when the stresses surpass what the coupling is capable of enduring.
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.